Ovens and other appliances having doors that rotate to open by downward rotation, require hinges connecting the oven door to the main appliance unit that provide a closing force sufficient to keep the door closed against the weight of the door. Such closing force may prevent unintended opening and, in the case of an oven or the like, provide proper insulation. For such operation it is also generally desired for the hinges to also provide balancing force sufficient to maintain a partially open position of the door, as desired by the user. Generally, oven door hinges are configured such that the hinges apply the closing force when the door is at a position within a desired angle from the closed position and such that the balancing force is applied through the remainder of the range of motion provided by the hinge, up until the door is fully opened.
Oven door hinges have used various mechanisms including combinations of linkages, multiple springs, or cams to provide the desired combination of closing and balancing forces within the desired portions of oven door range of motion. Such mechanisms can be mechanically complex, resulting in high tooling and assembly costs and introducing multiple failure modes. Accordingly further advances for hinges used in ovens and other appliances are desired.